Why are we so pessimistic?

[a-TB]

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Very Nice and uplifting article (about the history of Internet in India) - I seem to remember/know a few of the names mentioned here. What a delight to read on Independence Day
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/tech/the-story-of-how-the-internet-came-to-india-an-insiders-account-1039533.html

Very beautiful and uplifting reference

 

[sarang]

[FONT=open_sansregular]How true; golden words from the article.

"There is a stupid statement frequently made that Indians do not pull together, but pull each other down. My ERNET experience has shown me that this is untrue where there is effective leadership and adequate incentive to cooperate."[/FONT]

 

[Vaagmi]

In the last few years, i have had an opportunity to meet a lot of people. Though i don't interact with them much these days, i found many of them have a negative/pessimistic view on things. Not that i am a saint, i have also been guilty of such views. So, i am curious.
Why do we become pessimistic after a while? Is it because life is too damn upright and tough? Or is it because of money? or is it because the media makes us feel so? Almost all of the newspaper contents are downright sad - either a rape or a death or something against someone!

Dear praveen,

I have a different view on pessimism. There had been times when pessimism had tried to overtake me and occupy me. I think everyone had beeen a pessimist at sometime in life. We use the term pessimism loosely here. While the dictionary gives the meaning as "the doctrine that reality is essentially evil" which is very restrictive, we generally use it to mean a gloomy outlook with a belief that all outcomes will be the worst possible.

I think pessimism is rather a temporary state of mind when adversity and failure overwhelms a person. When you have no answers, there can not be any thing worse than that. To be in a helpless situation is itself bad enough and to be keenly aware of it is still worse.We are not great saints, as you said, to understand and live with the ultimate Shunya. We always would like to deal with something tangible here and now as long as we are the boss of our faculties. Even in adversity, like a free fall situation, the human mind tries to grab at a straw to hang on with the hope that some miracle will happen. But there are also times when a human being feels completely overwhelmed. It is a sinking feeling and that is when you find people expressing their pessimism in so many words. There are also those people with a robust mind who think இதுவும் கழிந்து போகும் and wait for and look forward to better times while carefully adding to their repository of knowledge the experience gained already in the overwhelming situation. These people, sometimes, are so nonchalant about the adversities that they look at the funny side of the events(there are many in every situation) and have a hearty laugh or LOL.

Media and Newspapers report gloomy news because they think it is their duty to do that and it sells too. And if a human mind gets depression reading them it is unfortunate. We are not in control of every event and so there is no use getting depressed reading gloomy events from media. Let us read them too and keep moving. Disturbance is also welcome if adds to our knowledge. LOL.

If i am told i am pessimistic, i am sure i can justify that and give a thousand reasons why i am not or why i am so.
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I am largely optimistic and a little bit pessimistic too. I enjoy being that little bit too.

Is this pessimism arising due to biological age of most posters? A possible answer, maybe? As we grow older we tend to view the world differently. We tend to think, introspect and do things. Gone are the days when we threw caution to the wind

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Time is an alchemist who does several wonders. He makes the bubbling restless youth into a careful but sure husband of a wife and father of his children by piling on him good and bad experiences. The experiences would have driven him at times to be pessimistic and at times optimistic. If he had been a pessimist most of the time it would have been because of his situations.

I do not know if there is much pessimism, but there is much anger from the citizens against the establishment, irrespective of who is in the Government. Anger after a point of time tends to change into two things. One where you take the law into your hands and two where you resign yourself to the fate that things are as bad as it can be and you have to carry on with your existence. The second is what becomes pessimism after a while, imo.

Anger? Of a toothless lion. LOL. I repeat இதுவும் கழிந்து போகும். So I am not feeling gloomy. LOL.




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